First black woman astronaut says audacity can transform the world
As South Africa marks Women's Month, women in science are being celebrated at Africa's first International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly taking place in Cape Town.
The Department of Science and Innovation is supporting the General Assembly and is honoured that some of the world's leading women scientists, among them Dr Mae Jemison, are at the event. Jemison was the first African-American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
As part of a NASA delegation to the IAU gathering, Jemison said that nations around the world should be audacious today in pursuit of an extraordinary world tomorrow.
"The extreme nature of interstellar hurdles requires that we re-evaluate what we think we know, and demands radical steps in knowledge, technology and systems capabilities across every human discipline," said Jemison.
She told the gathering that the challenge of human interstellar travel mirrored the challenges that the world faces today. However, the world had to think more broadly about what truly impacted our lives, taking into consideration culture, resources, the environment, conflict and politics, among other things.
According to Jemison, the implementation of strategies to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is bringing the word closer to reducing inequality, ensuring inclusive and quality education, and promoting healthy lives and well-being.
Born in Alabama and raised in Chicago, Jemison was a gifted academic student, graduating from Stanford University with degrees in chemical engineering and African and African American studies. She went on to obtain a medical degree from Cornell University, and worked as a doctor for the Peace Corps in Liberia and Sierra Leone from 1983 until 1985.
She applied to join NASA's astronaut programme in 1987 and was one of 15 (out of 2 000) applicants selected. She completed her training as a mission specialist with NASA in 1988. At the time she was the only African American woman astronaut.
Jemison has spoken about how the lack of female astronauts during the Apollo missions frustrated her, saying, "Everybody was thrilled about space, but I remember being irritated that there were no women astronauts."
After completing her NASA mission, she formed the Jemison Group to develop and market advanced technologies. Jemison also formed an educational foundation.
Prof. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, welcomed Jemison's attendance at the conference. In his opening address, he expressed appreciation that, while she was in South Africa, Jemison would be doing public talks and outreach programmes with learners, which would encourage young people to study mathematics and science, and to pursue their dreams.
Dr Jemison told the gathering that no one showed a child the sky, but that astronomers, as "#Team Earthlings", had the responsibility to lead the way in an inclusive, audacious journey to transform life on Earth and beyond.
